Positive beam drive



May 3, 1955 ME. EBERT POSITIVE BEAM DRIVE Filed Feb. 2, 195a INVENTQR BYflaxif ert United States Patent POSITIVE BEAM DRIVE Max E. Ebert,Palisades Park, N. 1., assignor to Alfred Hofmann & Co., West New York,N. 1., a corporation of New Jersey Application February 2, 1953, SerialNo. 334,590 7 Claims. (Cl. 66-86) This invention relates to positivebeam drives for knitting machines of the warp or tricot type.

It has been proposed to effect the let off from the beam of a warpknitting machine by causing the positive rotation of the beam, ratherthan to allow the knitting elements to pull off the required amounts ofyarn, as in more conventional beam let offs.

However, known positive drives are complex in construction and in manyinstances include overly sensitive electrical components which make thedrives expensive to maintain in proper operating condition. Furthermore,known drives do not permit the knitting machines with which they areassociated, to be used for knitting fabrics having pleated, puckered andsimilar novelty affects.

Such novelty fabrics are made by feeding the warp yarns in adiscontinuous manner, such that the feed is suspended or halted for apredetermined number of knitting cycles to allow the formation of blindor floating stitches in accordance with a predetermined and desiredstitch design.

Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide a drive forcontinuously rotating the beam of a knitting machine, together withmeans for discontinuing the rotation of the beam for a predeterminednumber of knitting cycles.

Another object of this invention is to provide in a beam drive of thecharacter described, an improved clutch mechanism operative tocontinuously rotate the beam and adapted to suspend the rotation of thebeam in response to the action of control means associated with theknitting machine.

A further object of this invention is to provide in a beam drive of thecharacter described, a pair of tandem related variable speed mechanismsbetween the beam and the power source, one of the mechanisms beingadapted to regulate the speed of the beam let off and thereby determinethe quality of the knitted fabric, the other mechanism being responsiveto the decrease in beam diameter for automatically regulating therotationalspeed of the beam so as to maintain the linear speed of thebeam let off, substantially constant.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improvedpositive beam drive which is of relatively simple construction, ruggedand easy to maintain in operating order, economical to manufacture andwell adapted to conform to wide variations in the operation of theknitting machine with which it is associated.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in parthereinafter pointed out.

In the drawing, the figure shows a schematic arrangement of a positivebeam drive embodying the invention.

Referring in detail to the drawing, 10 designates a beam drive embodyingthe invention. The same comprises a beam 11 from which the warp yarns,not shown, are supplied to the knitting elements of the knitting machinewith which the beam is associated. The beam is adapted to be positivelyrotated from a constant speed ice source such as the main cam shaftchine, indicated at 12.

A sprocket wheel 13 is fixed to the cam shaft and is connected by achain 14 to a sprocket wheel 15 fixed on the input shaft 16 of avariable speed mechanism indicated at 17. The output shaft 18 of saidmechanism has a sprocket wheel '19 fixed thereto and connected by achain 20 to a sprocket wheel 21 on the input shaft 22 of a secondvariable speed mechanism 23 similar to mechanism 17 and arranged intandem relation thereto.

A sprocket wheel 24 on the output shaft 25 of mechanism 23 is connectedby a chain 26 to a sprocket wheel 27 fixed to a suitably mounted,horizontally disposed shaft 28. A worm 29 fixed to shaft 28, engages aworm wheel 30 which is fixed on a vertically disposed driving shaft 31.A driven shaft 32 axially aligned with shaft 31, has a worm 33 mountedthereon for engagement with a worm wheel 34 which is fixed to beam shaft35. The shafts 31 and 32 are maintained in proper alignment by suitablesupporting bearings.

The shafts 31, 32 are adapted to have their adjacent inner ends coupledtogether by means of a clutch mechanism 36 which comprises a member 37'fixed to shaft 31 and having a toothed end portion 38 normally engaginga toothed end portion 39 on a member 40 mounted on shaft 32 for limitedaxial movement relative thereto. Clutch member 40 is formed with anannular groove 41 for the purpose hereinafter described.

It will be apparent that with the clutch members 37 and 40 in normalengagement, the beam will be driven positively from the cam shaft 12 byway of the tandem connected variable speed mechanisms 17 and 23.Mechanism 23 includes a handle 42 for adjusting the control shaft 42a ofthe mechanism to determine the output thereof in a manner known in theart, thereby regulating the speed of the beam let off in accordance withthe stitch construction of the desired knit fabric.

When it is desired to knit fabrics having floating stitches to producetucked, pleated or similarnovelty effects, it is necessary to interruptthe positive feed of the warp yarns from beam 11 for a predeterminednumber of knitting cycles. To this end, means is provided for operatingclutch mechanism 36 to disconnect shafts 31, 32. Accordingly, a solenoid43 has its armature 44 connected to an intermediate portion of an arm 45by a link 46.. The arm 45 is pivoted at one end as at 47 and is providedat the other end with a depending roller 48 which is disposed in groove41 of clutch member 40.

The solenoid 43 is connected to a current source indicated by terminals49 through a micro switch 50. The operating arm 51 of the switch isadapted to be engaged by cam members 52 which may take the form of shortarcuate members secured to the face of a pattern wheel 53 which issuitably mounted for rotation and is adapted to control the operation ofthe knitting machine with which it is associated, in a manner known inthe art. The cams 52 are located on the pattern Wheel in positionscorresponding to the knitting cycles wherein the floating stitches areto be formed and have an arcuate extent commensurate with the number ofknitting cycles during which the feed of warp yarns from the beam is tobe suspended.

When the earns 52 engage switch arm 51, the switch is operated to closethe circuit to solenoid 43 which is then operative to move arm 45upwardly, thereby moving clutch member 40 on shaft 32 to effect thedisconnection of shafts 31 and 32. The beam 11 will then cease to rotateand no yarns will be supplied to the knitting elements of the machineuntil the cam member 52 has been moved to a position where it no longerengages switch arm 51 and the switch will then operate to open thecircuit to the solenoid. At such time, a spring of the knitting ma-Accordingly, abell crank 54, which is fulcrumed as at 55, has one arm 56thereof provided at its upper end with a roller 57 which is urged intoengagement with the periphery of the beam by a spring 58 attached at oneend to crank arm 56 and suitably anchored at the other end.

The other crank arm 59 is connected to one end of a 1 link 60, the otherend of said link being pivotally connected to a short operating arm 61extending from the control shaft 62 on the variable speed mechanism 17.

It will be apparent that as yarn from the beam 11 is consumed by theknitting elements, the progressive de- 2 crease in beam diameter willcause roller 57 to move inwardly toward the axis of the beam, therebymoving the bell crank 54 in a counter clockwise direction. This in turnwill turn the control shaft 62 on mechanism 17 so as to increase theoutput speed thereof in a known manner. Such increase in speed will betransmitted through the tandem connected variable speed mechanism 23, tothe drive shaft 31 and driven shaft 32 so as to rotate the beam 11 atsuch speeds as will maintain the linear speed of the yarns let off fromsaid beam, substantially constant.

It is understood that other forms of clutching mechanism may be used toeffect the connection and disconnection of the shafts 31, 32. Also,alternative control means may be used for actuating switch 50. Thus, camchains and other well known control means associated with knittingmachines and the like, may be utilized to effect the regulation of theoperation of the clutch operating solenoid.

It will thus be seen that there has been provided a positive beam drivein which the several objects of the invention have been achieved andwhich is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible changes might be made in the embodiment of theinvention set forth herein, it is understood that all matter hereinshown or described is to be ai interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to protectby Letters Patent:

1. A knitting machine comprising a beam, positive driving means for saidbeam comprising a continuously rotating drive shaft, a driven shaftconnected to the beam, clutch means for coupling said shafts, and meansfor automatically operating said clutch means at predetermined intervalsduring the operation of said machine.

2. A knitting machine comprising a beam, positive driving means for saidbeam comprising a continuously rotating drive shaft, a driven shaft,means operatively connecting said driven shaft and said beam, clutchmeans for coupling said shafts, means for operating said clutch means todisconnect said shafts, and means for automatically actuating the clutchoperating means at predetermined intervals during the operation of saidmachine.

3. A knitting machine as in claim 2, wherein said clutch operating meanscomprises a solenoid and said controlling means comprises cam operatedswitch means for controlling the energization of said solenoid.

4. A knitting machine comprising a beam, a drive for said beamcomprising a pair of coaxial, aligned shafts, means for continuouslyrotating one of said shafts, means for connecting the other shaft tosaid beam, means for coupling said shafts comprising a pair ofinterengageable members respectively mounted on adjacent end portions ofsaid shafts, said members being arranged for disengagement, means fordisengaging said members and means for actuating said disengaging meansfor a predetermined number of knitting cycles.

5. A knitting machine including a beam, a drive for said beam comprisinga constant speed shaft, a continuously rotating driving member, arotatable driven member operatively connected to said beam, clutch meansfor coupling said members, means for operating said clutch means todisconnect said members for a predetermined number of knitting cycles,and variable speed 1 means connecting said shaft and said drivingmember,

and means for manually controlling the operation of said variable speedmeans.

6. A knitting machine as in claim 5 and further including a secondvariable speed means connected between said shaft and said firstvariable speed means, said second variable speed means beingautomatically respona sive to changes in the beam diameter forregulating the output of said second variable speed means whereby tomaintain the let off of said beam at substantially constant linearspeed.

7. A knitting machine including a beam, a drive for said beam comprisinga rotatable driven member operatively connected to said beam, acontinuously rotatable driving member, means for coupling said members,means for operating said coupling means to disconnect said members,power supply means, a pair of variable speed mechanisms connected intandem relation, means connecting the input of one mechanism to saidpower supply means, means connecting the output of the other mechanismto said driving member, one of said mecha nisrns including manuallyadjustable means for regulat ing the output thereof, the other of saidmechanisms including adjustable means regulating the output thereof, andmeans responsive to the change in beam diameter for automaticallycontrolling said last mentioned adjustable means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,327,747 Sirmay Aug. 24, 1943 2,400,525 Amidon May 21, 1946 FOREIGNPATENTS 932,337 France Nov. 24, 1947

